


Your Place In The Cosmos

by Falling_Rhayne



Series: Klance Drabbles [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ALL OF IT, ALL THE FLUFF, Adam & Lance (Voltron) are Cousins, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Can I make it any more obvious?, DashCon 2014, Fluff and Humor, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mentioned Keith's Father (Voltron), Mentioned Lance (Voltron)'s Family, Mentioned Matt Holt, Mentioned Romelle (Voltron), Romantic Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, keith likes welcome to nightvale, lance is a homestuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26004709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falling_Rhayne/pseuds/Falling_Rhayne
Summary: There were several signs that pointed to DashCon being a complete and utter disaster.But Lance McClain was fourteen years old and never learned how to fucking read, so those signs weren't gonna stop him anyway.
Relationships: Adam & Lance (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Klance Drabbles [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/523045
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	Your Place In The Cosmos

_"Be proud of your place in the cosmos.  
It is small, and yet, it is.  
How unlikely! how fantastic!  
And stupid. And excellent."  
_

_- **Welcome to Nightvale: Old Oak Doors Part B**_

* * *

* * *

  
There were several signs that pointed to DashCon being a complete and utter disaster.

  
But Lance McClain was fourteen years old and never learned how to fucking read, so those signs weren't gonna stop him anyway.

  
He was going to DashCon, and he was going to _beg his parents_ to do it.

  
His Dad came around after a week of constant begging. His Mom took longer, worried about her baby boy's first trip out of state, but Lance managed to sweet talk her eventually. In the end they agreed he could go _only_ if he had a chaperone with him. _And_ he had to pay for his expenses himself, they were only paying for his ticket.

  
Lance had some savings left from when his relatives gave him money last Christmas. It was enough for a room and maybe some takeout, but there was some merch he wanted. He needed a little more. That meant two weeks of mowing his neighbors' lawns, walking their dogs, and doing the odd chore or two.

  
Permission granted, money earned, it was time for phase three: finding a chaperone.

  
Veronica was not an option, seeing as his older sister just laughed when he came to ask her. Luis wasn't an option either. He offered, but Lance knew he had college exams coming up, and didn't really have time to goof around. There was Marco, but Lance didn't really feel like bringing his jock oldest brother anywhere.

  
There really was only one person left.

* * *

  
Lance sat idly in the passenger seat of Adam Waring's beat up Nissan Sentra, gazing out the window as they sped through the I- 275. They’d barely crossed the border of Florida, and though Lance was aware the trip would take a while, he didn’t think it would take _this long._

  
“Are we there--”

  
“Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare.”

  
Lance pouted, turning to look at the man frowning at him from behind the wheel. Adam’s eyes were trained on the road in front of him, but Lance could still feel the repressed annoyance wafting off of him.  
  


Lance thought it was impressive.  
  


“We’ve been driving _forever_.” Lance moaned, his head falling back against the window. “When are we gonna get there?”  
  


“Lance, it’s a 17-hour drive to Illinois.” Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We won’t get there ‘till tomorrow night.”  
  


“Aww man! That’s, like, forever!”  
  


“Stop being dramatic.” Adam rolled his eyes, leaning back to spare Lance a quick glance. “We’d get there faster if we drove all night.”  
  


Lance leaned forward, eyes wide. “I can switch with you!”  
  


“Yeah, right.” Adam scoffed, reaching over to push Lance back. “You can’t get to Dabcon if I’m arrested.”  
  


“It’s _Dash_ con!” Lance grumbled, leaning back against the carseat with a huff. “While we’re on the topic, will you teach me how to drive? Like, actually teach me?”  
  


“Thought Marco was gonna teach you?”  
  


“He was! But every time I ask him about it he brushes me off!” Lance wiggled in his seat, messing up his hair and hunching his shoulders to imitate his gruff older brother. “‘Not now, Lance, I’m busy! We’ll do it tomorrow Lance, I promise! Oh look at that my girlfriend just called, gotta go Lance!’ Ugh!”  
  


Lance rolled his eyes, smiling as Adam chuckled beside him.  
  


“I’ll teach you before I go back to Uni.” Adam offered, frowning as a car cut them off the highway. “Lesson number one, though? Don’t cut people off on the freeway. That’s dangerous.”  
  


“Roger!” Lance smiled wider, raising his hand in a mock salute. Just then his eyes caught Adam’s phone screen balanced on the holder between them, Google Maps open to show their progress. His eyes caught on a certain city, an idea forming in his head.  
  


“Hey, Adam?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Do we have time to stop by Atlanta?”

  
“Was actually planning to crash on a friend’s couch there. Why’re you asking?”  
  


“Oh, nothing. Just thought we could check this one diner out. Saw it on TV.”  
  


Adam side-eyed him, a grin creeping up his face.  
  


“Is it Guy Fieri approved?”  
  


Lance turned to face him, grinning back.  
  


“Definitely Guy Fieri approved.”  
  


“Alright.” Adam said solemnly, gesturing at his phone. “Pull it up on Google Maps.”  
  


“Fuck yeah!” Lance pumped his fist in the air, grabbing Adam’s phone. He quickly put in the diner’s name, practically vibrating in his seat.  
  


Two and a half hours later found them in Georgia, Lance reciting the Google Maps directions in his best robotic voice. Adam lasted a total of fifteen minutes before he was laughing, eventually joining in with a super fake British accent.  
  


This was why Adam was Lance’s favorite cousin.

* * *

* * *

  
Keith Kogane had a plan.  
  


His plan involved a fuckton of calculated risks, but Keith manned the cash register at his family’s Asian restaurant, so he was pretty confident with his math. Fifteen-years-old and he never failed a math test.  
  


Was it kinda stereotypical? Yes.  
  


Did he give a flying fuck? No.  
  


Keith was proud of his math skills, and today was the day he was putting it to the test.  
  


Sort of.  
  


Keith already had his pieces in place.  
  


His ticket for DashCon was in his wallet, sandwiched between his Welcome to Nightvale panel ticket and an old receipt from the Subway two blocks down the road. He probably spent half his life savings on these tickets. But hey, he could stand to treat himself now and again.  
  


He only had tickets for Day 1. He didn’t give a shit about any of the other stuff. It made packing easy - all of his clothes fit into his old ratty backpack. He would have gone there with just the clothes he was already wearing, but no way was he going to meet Cecil Baldwin smelling like a dead rat. That wouldn’t be cool.  
  


His shifts for the restaurant were already covered for the weekend. Romelle - a preppy blonde from his freshman class - volunteered to cover for him. Dad gave the okay, and that was that. They didn’t get a lot of traffic anyway. Not a lot of people came to eat at a no-name Asian place in the heart of Kansas City, Kansas. Romelle could handle the register in her sleep if she tried hard enough.  
  


The only thing he didn’t have was a ride.  
  


But that was a pretty easy problem to solve.

* * *

  
“Hey, Shiro.”  
  


Keith stood at the door of the garage next door, shifting his weight from foot to foot. A loud **_thunk_ **echoed through the empty room, followed by his stepbrother trying his best not to curse. Keith tried not to wince.  
  


“Uh… Bad time?”  
  


“No, no, it’s ok.”  
  


Keith waited until Takashi Shirogane rolled out from under one of the many cars in the garage, a red bump slowly forming on his forehead. He was covered in dirt and oil, but the smile on his face was welcoming.  
  


“What’s up?”  
  


“Uhm.”  
  


Keith took a deep breath.  
  


Time for the biggest risk.  
  


“Can I borrow your bike?”  
  


Takashi’s eyes narrowed, his smile slowly falling off his face.  
  


“Why?”  
  


“I, uh, need to go somewhere.”  
  


“Huh.” Takashi looked behind him, eyeing his backpack. “What’s in the bag?”  
  


“Clothes.”  
  


“Uh huh.” Takashi crossed his arms, leaning against the hood of a nearby car. “And you’re going where, exactly?”  
  


“The library.”  
  


“With clothes?”  
  


“Yeah.”  
  


“Sure.” Takashi frowned. “Try again.”  
  


“Ok, fine!” Keith threw his hands up in frustration, mirroring Takashi’s posture, leaning back against the garage door. “I’m going to Illinois.”  
  


“Why are you going to Illinois?” Takashi looked genuinely confused. “With clothes?”  
  


“I have my reasons.”  
  


“You don’t sound as cool as you think you do, Keith.”  
  


“Shut up.” Keith grumbled, shoulders rising to his ears. “I’m going for a convention.”  
  


“A what?” Takashi asked. “You’re going for a what?”  
  


“There’s this convention I really wanna go to, okay? ” Keith said in a rush. “I’ve got the tickets and everything! I just need a ride!”  
  


“You know I’m not letting you go out of state without a chaperone, right?” Takashi raised his eyebrow.  
  


“Why not?! Dad gave the okay!” Keith argued back, his perfectly planned - well, plan - falling apart. “I’ve got enough pocket money, and Romelle's covering my shifts! It’s all good!”  
  


“It’s a 7-hour trip, Keith! When you get there, what then? Where are you staying?” Takashi countered back. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna drive all night to get there on time, attend your little convention, and then drive back home. That’s just stupid and reckless.”  
  


Keith opened his mouth, ready to defend himself, when Takashi continued.  
  


“Also? You’re _fifteen_. You're not allowed to go anywhere without a licensed driver.”  
  


“I drive around here just fine!”  
  


“Driving to-and-from work isn't the same thing as driving interstate!” Takashi shook his head. “You’ll get arrested before you even make it out of the city.  
  


Keith clamped his mouth shut, practically seething.  
  


A short silence settled over them.  
  


“I already bought a ticket.” Keith ground out. “I’m going even if I have to hotwire Dad’s truck.”  
  


“Oh my _god_ ,” Takashi ground loudly, cradling his face in his hands. “You’re gonna give me gray hair.”  
  


“Maybe you’ll look better with gray hair!” Keith spat out, knowing he was being childish.  
  


“Fine.” Takashi breathed out, standing straight. “Fine.”  
  


“Fine, what?” Keith snapped. “You gonna let me borrow your bike or not?”  
  


“No.” Takashi’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “I’m not letting you borrow anything.”  
  


“What? But--”  
  


“We’re taking Dad’s truck.” Takashi rolled his eyes heavenward, which Keith thought was way too dramatic. “We’re taking his truck, and I’m going to Illinois with you.”

* * *

* * *

  
Spending the night at Adam's friend's flat was an _experience._   
  


Matthew Holt met them at the door in a loose Mass Effect shirt and boxers with rubber duckies on them. Lance couldn't take his eyes off his bunny slippers, even when Matt offered him a fistbump.  
  


How the hell was Adam even _friends_ with this guy?  
  


Adam moved around the flat like he lived there, moving past Matt and dropping their overnight bags on the couch. Matt only mumbled something about blankets in the closet, before disappearing into a room down the hall.  
  


"Hey, Adam." Lance followed his cousin to what was probably 'the closet', which really was just a door by the entrance. "Who _was_ that guy?"  
  


"Matt?" Adam pulled two thick blankets out, handing a deep blue one to Lance. "He's a friend from college."  
  


"Why was he dressed like he just got out of bed?" Lance scrunched up his face, following Adam back to the living room. "It's, like, 3:00 p.m."  
  


"He games." Adam shrugged, like that was a valid answer. "You want the couch or the floor?"  
  


Lance chose the couch, helping Adam pile blankets on the floor to make it comfier. Matt emerged from his room the moment the sun set, plopping himself on the couch next to Lance, asking him if he wanted pizza for dinner.  
  


Lance nodded absentmindedly, not sure what was going on anymore.  
  


Somehow Matt took Lance's confused silence as a yes, ordering them two large pizzas for dinner. Matt also offered mountain dew, but Adam refused. A sugar high Lance was _not_ a good experience.  
  


Full of pizza and feeling warm, Lance was knocked out in minutes.  
  


The morning went by in a blur, and the next thing Lance knew, he was back in the passenger seat with a bag full of McDonald's takeout. Fishing out a cheeseburger, he munched on his late breakfast as Adam got them back on the road.

* * *

* * *

  
Keith wasn't sulking.  
  


He was just crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against his Dad's vintage Chevy pickup, frowning as his stepbrother filled the gas tank.  
  


Keith really wasn't sulking. He was annoyed, and he was making sure to show it.  
  


"How long are you gonna sulk?" Takashi asked, closing up the fuel door. "We're already here. I can't drive back now."  
  


"I could have driven here myself." Keith mumbled, kicking at the ground.  
  


"Can't believe you're still on that." Takashi shook his head, walking to the gas station convenience store.  
  


Keith followed behind, shoving his hands into his pockets. Takashi walked right up to the register, taking out his wallet to pay for the gas. Keith walked over to the nearest shelf, grabbing a couple bags of chips with the intent of making Takashi pay for them.  
  


Keith was in the middle of grabbing another bag when the bell above the door jangled and a blur of blue zipped right past him.  
  


"Adam! They've got water!" A lanky brown-skinned kid announced loudly, pressing his face against the glass of the coolers. "Blessed, blessed water!"  
  


"Can you stop being dramatic for _one_ second?" An older man - _Adam, probably_ \- walked in to stand next to the kid. "You gonna grab a bottle or just become one with the cooler?"  
  


The kid stuck his tongue out, and Keith couldn't help but scoff. The kid turned his way, their eyes meeting across the shelves of potato chips and packaged peanuts. The kid narrowed his eyes at him - _dark blue, huh_ \- and Keith fought the urge to flip the bird at this complete stranger.  
  


"Please don't tell me you're getting more chips." Takashi's voice broke the moment, coming up to stand next to him. "You have enough snacks already."  
  


"Shut up." Keith grumbled, grabbing a pack of Lays and shoving it in Takashi's arms. "I'm eating them when we get there."  
  


"You know you need to eat an actual meal at some point, right?" Takashi shook his head, moving back towards the counter anyway.  
  


Keith shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.   
  


"Ooh, ooh, can I get some faygo?" The other kid's voice echoed through the empty store, catching Keith's attention.  
  


"Faygo, really?" The Adam guy replied, and even though Keith couldn't see it, he could _feel_ the judgment in that statement. "That shit's disgusting, Lance."  
  


"Nuh uh!" The kid - _Lance_ \- shot back. "It's good!"  
  


"Yeah, right. As if you're even gonna finish a whole bottle." Adam's voice startled Keith, the man actually standing just behind him. "I'm not buying it if you don't finish it."  
  


"I'm gonna drink it all!" Lance stepped up next to him, grinning up at Adam. "I promise. Scout's honor!"  
  


Adam rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Pick a flavor. _A_ flavor. Just one."  
  


"Gotcha." Lance saluted, rushing back to the coolers.  
  


“Hey,” Adam addressed Keith, making him flinch in surprise. “You in line or not?”  
  


“Oh, uh, no.” Keith stepped back, mentally wincing at his stammering. Adam merely shrugged, stepping up behind Takashi, who at that point had just begun to turn around.  
  


“Anything else you want, Ke--” Takashi paused, staring straight at Adam. “Oh.”  
  


Adam stared back, one eyebrow raised, a smile playing on his lips.  
  


“I, uh,” Takashi stammered. “You’re not…”  
  


Adam chuckled, gesturing towards Keith, standing next to one of the shelves.  
  


“Oh, uh, right.” Takashi let out a breath. Keith rolled his eyes. “Uh, Keith, want anything else?”  
  


“Nah, I’m good.”  
  


“Oh, yeah, ok.”  
  


For a moment Takashi just stood there, and Keith could feel the secondhand embarrassment slowly crawl up his bones. Before things could get even more awkward, Lance came barreling towards Adam, a bottle of Faygo in hand.  
  


“Got the blue one!” Lance announced happily, shoving the bottle in Adam’s hands. “I think it’s cotton candy?”  
  


“You _think_?” Adam took the offending bottle, looking it over. “This is gonna give you diabetes.”  
  


“Nuh-uh it won’t!” Lance glanced at Takashi, then at the empty counter. “Hey look, counter's empty!”  
  


“Yeah, I can see that.” Adam turned back to Takashi, a smug grin on his face. “Are you done?”  
  


Takashi just stood there. Keith facepalmed.  
  


“Yeah, no.”   
  


“Which is it?”  
  


“Yeah! Yeah, I’m done!” Takashi moved away, stepping next to Keith. Adam gave him a once-over, a sparkle in his eyes. Keith really wished he didn't know what that look meant. But Takashi got that look often enough that Keith knew _exactly_ what it meant, even if he didn't want to.  
  


Adam was interested.  
  


And with the way his brother shifted from foot to foot next to him, Takashi was pretty interested too.  
  


Keith wasn’t getting paid enough for this shit.  
  


“Ooh, Adam, can I get some gum?” Lance’s voice cut into the tension, waving a pack of Juicy Fruit in the air. “I like this one, but you like the minty stuff, right?”  
  


Adam sighed, breaking eye contact with Takashi to look at Lance. Keith let out a sigh of relief, elbowing Takashi when the latter still didn't move away.  
  


"Ow!" Takashi flinched, nursing his side. "What?"  
  


"Illinois? DashCon?" Keith gestured towards the car parked outside. "If you're not gonna drive me there I'll do it myself."  
  


"Definitely not happening." Takashi rolled his eyes, reaching for the keys on his belt. "Let's go."  
  


Takashi walked out of the store, Keith grumbling as he followed. He spared one last look at the counter. Lance's eyes met his again, and Keith could feel a shiver run down his spine. This time he didn't stop himself from flipping the bird, the door closing behind him, shutting out Lance's sputtering.

* * *

  
"Adam!" Lance grabbed his cousin's arm, shaking it furiously. "That dude just flipped me off!"  
  


"Who?" Adam looked outside, watching Keith and Takashi disappear into their car. "The tall one?"  
  


"No! The kid with a mullet!" Lance scowled, accepting the bag the bored cashier handed them. "What's his problem? I didn't do anything!"  
  


"Maybe he's just grumpy," Adam shrugged. "The other guy was kinda cute though."  
  


"Eugh!" Lance made a disgusted sound, his face scrunching up. "You're so gross!"  
  


"What? He was!" Adam shot back, pushing open the door. "You've never had a problem with cute guys before."  
  


"Yeah, but he was _old_!"  
  


"He looked my age though."  
  


"Yeah, that's what I meant! Old!"  
  


"Ha, funny." Adam deadpanned, pulling open the car door and sliding into the front seat. "By the way, did you catch what they said earlier?"  
  


"Wha?" Lance looked up from the plastic bag on his lap, a wrapped stick of gum in his mouth.  
  


"Mullet kid said they were heading to DashCon." Adam exited the gas station parking lot, getting them back on the road. "Think we'll be seeing them again?"  
  


"Oh man, I hope not." Lance frowned, rummaging in the bag for his Faygo. "I'd be happy without ever seeing that stupid mullet ever again."  
  


"I wouldn't mind seeing the other guy again."  
  


"Ew, no thanks." Lance stuck his tongue out. "I don't wanna see you all flirty. Gross."  
  


"You're such a baby." Adam teased, reaching out to pinch Lance's cheek, pulling his hand away when the younger boy swatted at him. "You gonna drink that Faygo or not?"  
  


"I will!" Lance bristled, twisting the cap open. The scent of pure sugar hit his nose. He took a little sip, lips puckering at the sweet sugary taste, letting it sit on his tongue until it faded. "It's not that bad."  
  


"You took one sip."  
  


"If I finish it now I won't have any left for later."  
  


"You wanted to save it up for later?"  
  


"Yeah! I need it as a prop!"  
  


"A prop?"  
  


"Hard to explain." Lance waved his hand, capping the bottle and returning it to the plastic bag. He took out a bottle of water instead, twisting the cap and taking a big swig. He handed the half-empty bottle to Adam, unwrapping his stick of gum and popping it into his mouth. "DashCon here we come!”

* * *

* * *

  
“This fucking sucks.” Keith grumbled to himself. He watched as the ‘Organizers’, if he could even call them that, started begging the con-goers for money. He couldn’t give less of a fuck. He already spent a shit ton of money on his WTNV ticket, and here the con was asking for _$17,000_ to keep the con running.  
  


That was just complete and total bullshit.  
  


Keith was ready to call it quits and call Takashi to pick him up. He was debating the pros and cons of leaving when he caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair. Whipping around he saw the Lance kid from back in the gas station, sitting on the floor in one corner of the room, furiously digging through his backpack.  
  


Lance was looking incredibly stressed, dumping out the contents of his backpack onto the floor. There were candy colored horns on his head, and based on the Aquarius symbol on his long-sleeved shirt, Keith guessed he was in Homestuck cosplay.  
  


Keith did _not_ want to deal with a Homestuck.  
  


But then Lance started sniffling, reaching under his comically large glasses and scrubbing at his eyes.  
  


Keith sighed.  
  


"Hey."  
  


Lance looked up from his bag, mouth falling open as the familiar mullet kid walked towards him. He instinctively moved to cover his belongings, only realizing how stupid he looked when the kid just scoffed at him. Lance could feel his tears start up again, and he took off his fake glasses to wipe at his eyes.  
  


"What do you want?" Lance snapped, slowly putting his things back in his bag. "Did you come to make fun of me?"  
  


"What? No." Keith sighed, plopping down on the floor beside Lance, making the other boy flinch back. "Relax, I'm not gonna mess with you."  
  


"You flipped me off at the gas station!" Lance huffed, zipping his bag close. "I didn't even do anything to you!"  
  


"You were staring at me."  
  


"You were staring at _me_!"  
  


They locked eyes. Lance's were still watery from crying, red at the edges from all the rubbing he was doing. Keith could feel his resolve crumbling, and he broke eye contact to lean back against the wall.  
  


"This con fucking sucks." Keith muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for Lance to hear. "I hate it here."  
  


"Ha, same." Lance chuckled weakly. He hugged his bag to his chest, looking out at the convention floor. People were just standing around awkwardly in groups, waiting for the 'money bag' to be passed to them, hoping the con wasn't going to be cancelled. Others were just straight up walking out the door. "I thought it was gonna be fun, you know. My first con and everything. This? This is just stupid."  
  


"Yeah, I get ya." Keith nodded, groaning as another announcement came from the Organizers. "I just wanted to see the Night Vale panel, not go through this shit."  
  


"You like Night Vale?" Lance perked up, unconsciously leaning close to Keith. "I listen to it too! Couldn't really afford the panel ticket though."  
  


"I could sneak you in?" Keith grinned. "Don't think they're gonna check. Everything's a disaster anyway."  
  


"Yeah, but…" Lance sighed, resting his chin on his bag. "I just wanna go home."  
  


"Oh." Keith said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You gonna call your ride or something?"  
  


"I _was_." Lance mumbled. He could feel the waterworks coming on again. "But I lost my phone."  
  


"Ah," replied Keith, "that's why you're crying."  
  


"I'm not crying!" Lance lied. Not very convincing, considering he was very obviously trying to hold back tears. "I've got al-allergies. They're acting up, that's all!"  
  


"Sure." Keith drawled. "Wanna borrow my phone?"  
  


"Are you sure?! Thank you so-" Lance paused. He turned to face Keith, narrowing his eyes and frowning. "Wait, why are you helping me? I don't even know your name!"  
  


"It's Keith." Stretching out his hand, Keith watched with dry amusement as Lance tentatively raised his, meeting Keith's halfway and shaking it. "And yours?"  
  


"L-Lance." Lance said slowly, immediately snatching his hand back. "Why should I trust you, Keith? If that really is your real name."  
  


"Do you wanna see my driver's license to prove it?" Keith chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "I can show it to you if you really want me to."  
  


"You have a _driver's license_ ?!" Lance's eyes were wide with surprise, the clear awe in his voice making Keith feel proud and embarrassed at the same time. "You can _drive?!_ That's so cool!"  
  


"Well, uh, it's not that big of a deal." Keith played it off, a slight blush heating up his face and ears. "It's just a learner's permit. Still needed my stupid brother to drive me here."  
  


"It's still cool though!" Lance grinned, making his eyes crinkle at the edges. Keith didn't think the words 'butterflies in my stomach' could ever apply to him, but here he was, being proven wrong. "I can't get my permit till next year, and my family's too busy to teach me anything."  
  


"That sucks." Keith frowned, willing his stomach to settle and his blush to go away. "Back up, next year? How old are you?"  
  


"Fourteen."  
  


"You're a kid!"  
  


"So?"  
  


"So? You shouldn't be here alone."  
  


"You're alone too!"  
  


"I'm older than you."  
  


"You can't be that much older!" Lance frowned, reaching over to jab his finger in Keith's shoulder. "You just told me you had a learner's permit! That's for teenagers!"  
  


"Ugh, fine." Keith groaned, crossing his arms. "I'm fifteen."  
  


"Ha!" Lance pumped his fist in the air. "You're only a year older, you can't lecture me!"  
  


Unable to say anything back, Keith settled for flipping Lance off.  
  


"Really?" Lance giggled. Honest to god giggled. Keith could feel the butterflies start up again, this time with a vengeance. "Stop doing that, asshole."  
  


"You're the asshole."  
  


"Oh my god. That's so dumb."  
  


"Shut up." Keith shoved at the kid playfully, a small smile on his face. "Wanna call your brother or not?"  
  


"Adam's my cousin." Lance rolled his eyes. The con crowd was thinning out, more and more people leaving out the door mumbling complaints. "Hey, do you think we can get out of here?"  
  


"Not like anyone's gonna stop us." Keith got up from the floor, patting down his pockets to check for his phone and wallet. Making sure he was all set, he held out his hand to Lance. "Let's go."  
  


Lance looked at him then shrugged. Lance's warm hand wrapped around his, and Keith helped him get up.   
  


They ended up walking together to the hotel lobby, talking endlessly about their shared interests, both hoping the other wouldn't notice their hands were still linked.

* * *

* * *

  
"So that's the story of how they met!"  
  


Keith groaned, sinking further down his seat, hoping the large floral piece on the table in front of him would hide him from sight. Lance was laughing up on a makeshift platform, a microphone in his hand, twirling the cord as he regaled Takashi and Adam's wedding guests with their story.  
  


_Their_ story.  
  


Not Takashi and Adam's.  
  


"And here I thought this was _my_ wedding." Adam joked from where he sat on the center table. Takashi sat right next to him, looking equal parts embarrassed and amused.

  
Keith felt exactly the same way.  
  


"Hey, not my fault we met at the same time!" Lance placed a hand on his hip, sticking his tongue out at Adam. Keith really shouldn't have let him drink that much wine. "Besides, our story's cuter. You two just hooked up while Keith and I suffered."  
  


The whole venue exploded into laughter. Keith could see Takashi turning redder than his tie, which was honestly pretty relatable, considering Adam was shamelessly laughing at him.  
  


"Really, Adam?" Takashi groaned, shoving his husband. "Really?"  
  


"What? He's not lying." Adam chuckled, leaning over to kiss Takashi's cheek. "For the record, we actually _did_ go on a proper date."  
  


"Yeah." Lance grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "After you hooked up."  
  


"Why are you my best man again?" Adam sighed, waiting for the laughter to die down. He turned to look at Keith, easily finding him despite the younger man's best effort to become one with his table. "Keith, come get your man. He's exposing my secrets."  
  


"You made him your best man." Takashi laughed, gesturing at Lance. "Speech is over, Lance. Go sit down."  
  


"Roger!" Lance sing-songed, handing the mic back to the MC, practically skipping towards their table. He winked at Keith as he sat down, lacing their hands together under the table. "Miss me?"  
  


"Hard to miss you when you're right in front of me." Keith rolled his eyes, squeezing Lance's hand under the table. "Did you _have_ to tell the DashCon story?"  
  


"Whaaat?" Lance whined, dropping his head on Keith's shoulder. "It's a cute story! Everyone loves it."  
  


"It's embarrassing." Keith leaned his head against Lance's, half-listening to the MC ramble on about a video for the couple that was probably Matt's idea. "Are you gonna make the same speech at our wedding?"  
  


Lance stiffened.  
  


Keith played it cool, eyes locked on the MC's gaudy tuxedo. His breathing was even, but his palms were starting to get sweaty. If years of holding Keith's hand taught Lance anything, it was that it got sweaty when he was nervous. And right now? He was sweating buckets.  
  


A moment passed between them. A few seconds that felt like a lifetime. Keith was about to take everything back when Lance finally spoke.  
  


"You're proposing to me at my cousin's wedding?!" Lance hissed quietly, his fingers slipping out of Keith's grasp, hand splayed over his chest in mock indignation. "And when I'm drunk off my ass?! Keith Akira Kogane, how could you?!"  
  


Keith snorted, turning around. They locked eyes - dark blue meeting vivid purple - and just like that day in the gas station everything melted away. Lance's face was flushed, but Keith couldn't tell what was from the wine and what was from his proposal. Honestly, Keith probably looked just as wrecked.  
  


"Yeah?" Keith breathed out, a lopsided grin on his face.  
  


"I'm not saying no." Lance pouted, lower lip jutting out, Keith's eyes immediately dropping down to it. "But you gotta promise me you'll propose to me when I'm sober. Deal?"  
  


"Sure." Keith leaned forward, giving Lance a quick kiss. "Anything you want."  
  


"Hmmm…" Lance rested his arms on Keith's shoulder, lacing his fingers behind the taller man's head. "Can I have a huge bouquet of flowers? And a pretty ring too?"  
  


"Yeah." Keith leaned his forehead against Lance's, closing his eyes and breathing deep. "You can have everything."  
  


"Lucky me." Lance chuckled, kissing him gently. "You know, I think Adam's glaring at me right now."  
  


Keith laughed as they pulled apart. Sure enough, Adam was glaring. But he also looked kinda happy. One glance at Takashi, and Keith found the exact same look. He laced his fingers with Lance's again, raising their hands in the air. The two older men did the same.  
  


Lance had one hell of a hangover the next day. But when you're woken up by a bouquet of roses, a plate of good ol' hangover food, and a shiny diamond ring? The hangover's fucking worth it.

* * *

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Had a conversation with my friends bout a crackfic where Lance & Keith met at DashCon. I started writing this around May and have only finished it now. This was a fun fic to work on in between all the things happening to me, and I'm so happy to be done with it. (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
> 
> ~~Also I know the WTNV panel was on the 2nd day but I changed things up to fit the fic timeline. Sorry.~~
> 
> As always, feel free to comment & kudos! I love hearing back on my fics & it totally motivates me to keep going! I've also got my socials too so don't be afraid to reach out to me there. Love y'all & see y'alls later~ (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
> 
> [**TWITTER**](https://twitter.com/falling_rhayne)||[ TUMBLR ****](https://falling-rhayne.tumblr.com/)


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